Entertainment & Sports Law

Meet 11 ABA members who inspired us in 2019

Members Who Inspire is an ABA Journal series profiling exceptional ABA members. This past year, we featured many in the legal field who are doing good work and paying it forward, including pro bono for veterans, fighting for prisoners' rights, and promoting literacy and advancing diversity.

Dec 26, 2019 8:55 AM CST

Fast track: A 4-time Olympian takes her luge experience to the classroom

Fear and luge are not compatible. Cameron Myler—a four-time Olympian who spent countless hours lying on her back on a tiny sled, feet stretched out in front of her, hurtling down an icy track without brakes—would know. “Luge is not a good sport if you are afraid,” says Myler, a co-vice-chair of the ABA Business Law Section’s Sports Law Committee.

Dec 19, 2019 12:16 PM CST

Can ‘SNL’ star Pete Davidson really collect $1M from fans who violate his nondisclosure agreement?

Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson may scare fans into keeping quiet with a $1 million nondisclosure agreement, but it’s unlikely he will be able to enforce the contract in court, legal experts say.

Dec 4, 2019 4:47 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Madonna sued over late start time of concert; unusual bar ceremony goes viral

Fan sues Madonna for pushing back start time of her concert A Florida man who spent more than $1,000 on three tickets to see singer Madonna in concert at her “Madame X Tour” has sued because she pushed back the start time of her upcoming Miami Beach show from 8:30…

Nov 12, 2019 3:20 PM CST

Judge certifies class action alleging US women’s soccer team is paid and treated unequally

A federal judge in Los Angeles has certified a class action in a lawsuit alleging members of the U.S. Women’s National Team receive unequal pay and work in unequal conditions compared to players on the men’s team.

Nov 12, 2019 11:06 AM CST

Can black TV mogul’s discrimination suit against Comcast proceed? SCOTUS to decide

Byron Allen of Entertainment Studios Networks alleges in a $20 billion lawsuit that Comcast was motivated by racial bias in refusing to pick up his channels for inclusion on its cable systems in recent years. On Nov. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a race-discrimination claim may proceed.

Nov 7, 2019 1:34 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Arizona bans photos outside top courts; lawyer’s pretrial detention upheld

Arizona bans photos and broadcasts outside appellate-level courts Arizona’s chief justice has banned photos, videos and live broadcasting outside appellate-level courts in the state, including the state supreme court. The order makes an exception for those who get advance approval from the chief justice and the people being photographed. The…

Oct 30, 2019 4:09 PM CDT

‘Taco Tuesday’ too common for LeBron James to trademark, US patent office says

On Wednesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James’ attempt to trademark the phrase “Taco Tuesday.”

Sep 13, 2019 10:11 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: A$AP Rocky’s Swedish lawyer is shot; nationwide injunction restored in asylum case

Judge restores nationwide injunction blocking asylum ban A federal judge in San Francisco has restored a nationwide injunction blocking new rules that effectively barred immigrants at the southern border from applying for asylum unless they were from Mexico. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco had narrowed…

Sep 9, 2019 4:35 PM CDT

Global general counsel fired after accusations of blackmailing woman he met online

Steven Fabrizio, the global general counsel of the Motion Picture Association of America, has been fired after his arrest for allegedly blackmailing a woman he met on a “sugar daddies” online dating site.

Aug 29, 2019 10:20 AM CDT

Larry Bird mural with tattoos of mating bunnies and spider web brings objection from his lawyer

A street artist who decided to add tattoos to her depiction of Larry Bird has agreed to remove all but one of them after Bird’s lawyer expressed concern about damage to the basketball player’s brand. The Indianapolis mural by artist Jules Muck showed Bird in an Indiana State uniform. It…

Aug 22, 2019 1:55 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Former judge pleads guilty to murder; parents sue over Sharpie haircut punishment

Former judge pleads guilty to murder of his ex-wife Former Ohio judge Lance Mason pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally stabbing his ex-wife, Aisha Fraser, in November. Mason had resigned his judgeship in 2015 after a previous guilty plea for assaulting the same woman. A University of Michigan law grad, Mason…

Aug 20, 2019 4:06 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Rappers awarded $2.8M over Katy Perry song; lawyer killed outside courthouse by pickup truck

• Federal jurors in Los Angeles have awarded $2.78 million to Christian rap artists in a copyright suit against Katy Perry and others. The suit claimed that a repetitive musical rhythm in Perry’s song “Dark Horse” infringed the copyright for the Christian song “Joyful Noise.” Perry herself is responsible for…

Aug 2, 2019 4:07 PM CDT

Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane’ is one of the most famous tales of wrongful conviction

I hate being on the road too early in the morning; sometimes it’s just you and a long stretch of highway until the sun rises. I’ve found the best way to alleviate the loneliness is two-fold. Every once in a while, silence is golden. The lack of distractions can present…

Jul 11, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyers, songs and money: Music that changed the law

Some songs or albums move the law. A band or artist will be involved in a lawsuit so groundbreaking and important that it will set a precedent, either enshrined in law or otherwise binding future generations.

Jul 1, 2019 12:05 AM CDT